As an author, I work with words. But until I moved to Tennessee, I never thought about the history of words. I simply accepted their definition at face value.

Morning Meal

The way some words developed is easy to understand if you think about it. For example, take the word breakfast. Did you know breakfast derived from the act of people “breaking their fast?”

The word came into use in the mid-1400s. You “fasted” at night during the hours you slept, so when you awoke in the morning and ate, you would “break your fast.” The term breakfast was born by the phrase being shortened and the words run together.

Money

The meaning of other words, though, isn’t always as obvious. It was one of these words that caught my attention and originally prompted my interest in the history of individual words. It all started with a tour of Historic Mansker’s Station in Goodlettsville, TN. The Station is “an authentic reproduction of a 1779 frontier forted station typical of early Cumberland settlements.”¹ Unlike other sites, Mansker’s is very hands-on. You are encouraged to enter the station’s various buildings, touching and exploring the objects within. The tour guides, docents, are dressed in period costumes and portray people from that long-ago era, allowing visitors to “experience the lifestyles of early settlers through living history demonstrations.” ¹

During my tour, I learned the way those early frontiersmen carried fire with them. I also enjoyed seeing all the various tools they used. But the thing I found most interesting that day was the unexpected explanation of why we call a dollar a buck. During that time period, a hunter was paid one dollar for each buckskin (aka deerskin) he sold. Thus, a buck became synonymous with a dollar.

Other Words

Like the word breakfast, the word buck makes sense when you know its history. More recent words that have had new meanings attached to them are cool, gay, chill, and neat.

Do you know of a word (like buck) that has an interesting history? If so, please share it with me in the comment section below.

¹http://www.cityofgoodlettsville.org/110/Historic-Manskers-Station